D'Vonde Estelle
by Trylissia
Summary: The arrival of three foreigners at the palace gate sets in motion changes even the most skilled Foreseer could not predict.


**PRE-STORY SIA NOTE:**

Hello everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read my first attempt at fanfiction in the Valdemar Universe. I have dabbled in Harry Potter FF before, but this will be my first chaptered fic. I'm doing my own proof-reading, so there is most likely still an error here or there. I welcome constructive criticism as it helps me to fix the errors and make my story the best it can be.

Thanks Again,

Sia

**PRONOUNCIATIONS:**

Amirah ~ Uh-meer-uh

D'Vonde ~ Duh V-awn-day

Erensuge ~ Eh-rin-soo

Estelle ~ Eh-s-tell

Nycht ~ N-eye-k-t

Shoten ~ Show-tin

Sylvik ~ S-ill-v-ick

Terian ~ T-air-ee-in

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

Humans were a truly marvelous species. Her fellows would scoff if they could hear that thought or suggest she'd been rolling in the zindarri mint again. Her people tended to be of the arrogant mindset. She was of the more open-minded opinion that there was much that could be learned from the humans. They were so alive and in an enviably constant state of change. By comparison, her people had not experienced a significant change to their culture in at least six millennia.

She shifted marginally to her left in a vain attempt to find a more comfortable position on the unyielding stone which she sat. This form still felt awkward to her, despite the lengthy amount of time she had spent in it as preparation. It made her feel vulnerable; weak. Neither of which being emotions she was used to experiencing.

Learning to walk on two legs had been a nightmare worse than any _Shoten_ had seen fit to send her. Every fall or accidental stumble where she didn't manage to catch herself prior to her hitting something resulted in pain. She admitted to having been morbidly fascinated by the wild array of colors this weak hide had turned with each new blunder. Bruises, she remembered now. Humans referred to such discolorations as bruises. She felt they improved the bland hide – no, that wasn't the correct term either, they called it skin – but, the bruises hurt too much to be an intentional embellishment.

As much as she was enjoying her unimpeded night view of the large human city she couldn't wait for the new day to come. She was anxious to be inside the city rather than merely watching it. Being so close to where she was meant to be, yet not moving further toward it caused the pressure of her gift to weigh heavily across her shoulders.

She was able to ignore the discomfort with ease gained from long practice. Having been blessed since her birth, she was quite used to dealing with the trials that came with it. Plus, her cheerful anticipation of that which was soon to occur easily overwhelmed all negative emotion. For with the break of the next dawn a journey of change for her race would finally commence.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

The rising sun revealed what appeared to be a wealthy young woman and her two guards waiting patiently outside the city of Haven's southern gate. She was a petite thing, reaching to just about the shoulder height of her protectors. The ankle-length black cloak she wore with its' hood raised hid any other distinguishing features from sight.

_An oddity,_ thought one of the gate guards from his post atop the city wall. Especially if you factored in the current season: the end of spring. It was too warm this time of year for heavy winter cloaks to be found practical articles of clothing.

However, it wasn't the delicate teenager who held his attention past a cursory glance. Instead it was her two stoic shadows that he kept a wary eye on. They moved with the confidence of expert fighters. It's a loose, ready for anything quality of movement that can only be gained through years of experience. Simple practice didn't teach that naturalness. The two wore unrelenting black and were of a height. Their hair colors as well as a slight difference in build were the only two things to give distinction between the men. The encompassing cloaks they wore to match their Mistress' didn't help matters. It added a dramatic touch of mystery to their aura of controlled danger.

Each man met him stare for stare. He couldn't see their eyes beneath their hoods from such a distance, but he knew they were watching him as he watched them. Here he was, a seasoned veteran of the recent wars, yet he found himself made unsettled by them when all the pair had done so far was stand there. He refused to put the name fear to the emotion he was feeling. He dubbed it too ridiculous a notion.

_:Stop scaring the City Guard.:_ The young woman admonished her companions; being careful enough in her sending so only they might hear her. Her mind voice is as soft and calming as her oral. It was the sort of voice one found comforting to listen to.

_:I apologize, _D'Vonde Estelle_, but the safety of your person takes priority.:_ responded Sylvik. It was his overly polite way of telling her that he would continue to do exactly as he pleased. He was easily the most serious natured _Nycht_ on top of being the deadliest. As long as they were in what he perceived as 'hostile territory', he would continue to be more than a smidge excessive in his protection of her.

_:Besides the duty aspect, it's enjoyable to see the humans sweat.:_ Terian's answer didn't surprise her either. Due to his rather morbid sense of humor, he had been making humans uncomfortable on purpose from the second they first set foot inside Valdemar. He'd been staring in what was considered by the recipients to be a "fairly creepy" manner. It made her think of a predator stalking prey. Which wasn't that far off the mark if she paused a moment to consider it.

The _D'Vonde Estelle_ sighed inwardly as she despaired of ever getting the two of them to blend in suitably amongst the humans. She didn't think that they could stand out more if they tried. Well… She guessed that they could be in their true forms. To change form now would show the entire city precisely how different they were from everyone else. That somewhat whimsical idea brought the slightest quirk to her lips. For the expressionless girl, the gesture equated to a smile on someone else.

They had come to the mutual conclusion that she should do the communicating. It had quickly become obvious, that for reasons known only to them, the humans thought her to be a "m'lady". She'd attempted to explain the intricacies of human social dynamics to the two _Nycht_, but it had been a futile effort at best. Terian didn't seem to quite grasp the concept of birthright nobility or the benefits of having a class system; while Sylvik had promptly deemed it irrelevant to the performance of his duties and therefore unimportant. She wasn't exactly sure of the point of "the nobility" in the human society herself. As far as she could tell, they caused more problems than they solved. Not to mention the strange rules they placed such importance on. What right did they have to tell their offspring who they should spend the rest of their lives with? What nonsense.

With a loud 'thunk' the gate's last locking bar came free. The noise returned her wandering attention to her surroundings. The thick wooden doors opened smoothly and allowed a new day of trade within the kingdom's capital to start. The threesome waited for several farmers driving heavily laden wagons to pass before moving to enter the city. It was an interesting new experience to feel cautious of things bigger than they were.

The trek from the city wall to the palace complex should have taken longer. In spite of the early hour, the streets remained lightly congested. To her surprise, the time it took for all three of them to traverse Haven's spiral of a main thoroughfare was the same as if she'd been traveling alone. The cause of their party's speed was a puzzlingly open circle of cobblestones that surrounded them the entire journey. Whatever the reason for its existence, that persistently clear area made walking through the capital city a remarkably easy fete.

Cramped, haphazardly built structures slowly gave way to better maintained ones. Those buildings in turn got steadily bigger and, what the human's saw as, grander. She saw elaborate wastes of resources as well as space. Within a few centuries, the only remaining evidence of those supposedly 'grand' buildings would be dilapidated ruins. How could they see those mansions, which amounted to little more than pointless displays of superiority, as grand?

Upon arriving at the wall that separated the palace and Collegia from the rest of the city, the _D'Vonde Estelle_ felt the compulsion of her gift fade. She had finally arrived at where she 'needed' to be. Though, these next few minutes did promise to be tricky. Too many variables were currently influencing the future for her to ascertain the most probable outcome.

With a brief mental touch, she asked Sylvik to return to his previous position at her back instead of walking in front of her. She was grateful to have the two _Nycht _along. The supportive presence of her silent guardians was giving her the reassurance she needed. Even someone of the _Erensuge_ race could feel insecure on occasion. No matter how much her fellows would vehemently deny the fact, it was truth. The unusual feeling of uncertainty made her nervous.

She breathed in softly then straightened her posture. With her head held high, she strode proudly forward to speak with one of the Palace Guardsman whose job it was to regulate traffic through the gate. His serviceable blue uniform was the same as that of the City Guardsman they saw earlier, but this guard was stockier with an old scar bisecting his left eyebrow. The scar barely missed his alert brown eye to stop a finger's width below his cheekbone. His expression of impassive professionalism rapidly morphed to disapproval once he registered exactly what she had said, her tone calm and serious, in response to his request that she state her name as well as purpose for entering the palace.

"Amirah_ D'Vonde Estelle_. I've come to meet my white horse."


End file.
